Dark, narrow streaks on Martian slopes such as these at Hale Crater are inferred to be formed by seasonal flow of water on contemporary Mars. The streaks are roughly the length of a football field. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Univ. of Arizona
Perchlorate salts, which may help on our JourneyToMars! Perchlorate absorbs water from the air.
Using an imaging spectrometer on MRO, NASA found hydrated minerals on slopes where mysterious streaks are seen on Mars. One thing that researchers noticed was that the darkish streaks appear to ebb and flow over time. During warm seasons, they darken and then fade in cooler seasons. When discovered in 2010, these downhill flows known as recurring slope lineae (RSL) were thought to be related to liquid water. With the recent spectral detection of molecular water, we’re able to say it’s likely a shallow subsurface flow explains the darkening.
Since this liquid water is briny, the freezing point would be lower than that of pure water. Also, these saline slopes appear on Mars when temperatures are above -10 degrees F. Currently we think this area has a very small amount of water, probably just enough to wet the top layer of the surface of Mars. The streaks are around 4-5 meters wide and 200 to 300 meters long.
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